Cirque Du Alice
by ThePaintedSkies
Summary: Mikan Sakura is accepted into the Cirque du Alice academy and performance group. There, she has to form a tight group with 3 other fellow student acrobats. It gets all the harder when feelings start to develop between them. MxT, MxN, MxR and others
1. Accepted!

**Hey everyone! Welcome to another new story! I really couldn't hold the idea back, so I had to at least start this. Hehe… **

**This story is going to be a Natsume/Mikan/Tsubasa with Ruka somewhere in there love square . I'm really thinking about making her go with Tsubasa in this one, since I'm such a Tsubasa/Mikan shipper. They're an adorable pair- and three years is nothin' , yo. **

**Also, I like emphasizing Narumi's looks as something beautiful to admire- as in him being handsome. Him seeming gay is too much of a given, so I'm going to make him someone Mikan has a crush on because really…**_** Narumi is hawt, man.**_**. Bwahaha. Like momma like daughter. *SMACKED***

**Hahaha, I'm going to stop being such a dork and get this story started! This chapter may be on the short side.**

**And as a side note: Mikan is 15 going on 16, Hotaru is going on 16 as well as Natsume. Ruka is already 16. Tsubasa is 17 going on 18. Everyone else's ages will be revealed when they are introduced.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I really wish I did, but if wishes were fishes… You know the deal.**

_Chapter One: Accepted!_

"Congratulations, Miss Sakura! You pass!" The really handsome blond haired, violet eyed teacher cheered as he clapped merrily.

I looked up at him, moving my long, brown hair from my face. At first I was absolutely dumb struck, but then that melted into a smile. "Really?!"

"You can't be serious, Narumi!" Another man, seemingly a bit older with black hair and glasses snapped at the blond. I flinched.

"Ease up, Jinno. I am, and she's in." Narumi turned towards me and stood up, making his way over to where I was standing. He crouched slightly in order to be face-to-face with me. I felt a blush creep on my cheeks as he brushed some hair away from my cheek. "Miss Mikan Sakura… You showed me something none of the other students trying out had. Don't lose that." He gave me a charming smile.

I suppressed a giggle to not seem like an absolute loon, so instead I nodded frantically. "Yes sir!" I collected my peach colored dress and slipped into it again, the pink leotard and exposed skin now covered.

Narumi smiled at me once more and pat my head. "Your belongings will be moved into your room immediately. You'll be rooming with your designated partner, be it male or female. You don't have to worry, since you'll have different bedrooms, and you can simply lock your door. Schedules will be given out tomorrow during your tour of the academy and performance areas." he explained while walking me towards the door, running a hand through his locks. "Remember, make friends and get along with your neighbors since they'll be your group partners and if you have any questions at all, don't be a stranger. The phones in the room have my number, and I'll inform you where to find my office." The smile was still on his face- I couldn't help but to smile back. "That bus will take you back to the dorm. You're in room 704. Run along now, and remember, 704!"

"Yes sir! Thank you! You won't regret allowing me to attend!" I called out merrily as I started to make my way.

"Just call me Narumi." Narumi chuckled lightly.

My face heated up for a quick moment before I gave him a thumbs up and skipped off towards the bus. I watched the scenery fly by as it drove quickly. Seemed I was the last student they tested, since the vehicle took off once I boarded.

I passed. I was elated! It was my dream to get into the school for _Cirque du Alice_! I heard promising students were given the opportunity to perform. I couldn't wait!

The bus finally came to a stop and I rushed out, taking in the scenery. The dormitory was a gorgeous building with balconies in every room and a beautiful water fountain- a statue of the first performer. I stopped admiring the statue when I noticed three girls chatting by the fountain. I spotted one girl who stood out amongst the rest. She had short black hair, almost similar to a boy's hair cut. She shone out over all the rest. My chocolate eyes widened and I dashed towards the unsuspecting female. "HO-TA-RU!!!" I extended my hands out, ready to glomp her.

The girl turned around, icy lavender eyes examining me for a moment. I jumped, ready to pounce, but she effortlessly twirled away, leaving me to crash against the cold floor. "Idiot." was all that escaped her lips.

That there was my best friend, Hotaru Imai.

I got up and dusted off the flecks of dirt that stuck onto my skirt from the crash. "I made it in Hotaru! I'll be practicing to become a performer!" I grinned and clasped her hands into mine.

"That's nice." Hotaru simply replied. She's not one of very many words. "I'm going to take lessons on becoming a manager." Tears brimmed in my eyes as I let a huge frown take over my lips. "What did I tell you about that? You look much uglier when you do that." Hotaru muttered, squeezing my hands.

"But that means I obviously won't have you for a partner. We'll barely even see each other…" I whined.

Hotaru let a small smile creep on her face for a few moments. After a total of 2.5 seconds, it vanished, as if it never happened. "Don't worry , I'll see that after I take the lessons, I'm your personal trainer." My face brightened- albeit the initial tug downwards- my face wanting to express horror. Hotaru would probably work me to death- but I guess time spent with her in any way will be precious here. "None the less Mikan, I've already met my partners and neighbors. You should do the same."

I gave her a nod and a wave. "Good idea! See you later Hotaru!"

I made my way up the elevator and down the halls of the 7th floor. The place was pretty big, and a beautiful chandelier decorated every hall. I finally stopped marveling at my surroundings and began wondering what kind of people my neighbors and roommate were. I perked up when I noticed two boys around my age walking out of room 703. My neighbors! One was a tall boy with unruly raven hair and striking crimson eyes. He seemed pretty unapproachable, but didn't want to be rude. The other boy was slightly shorter than the first- he had pin straight blond hair and bright cerulean eyes. He held an adorable rabbit in his hands. He definitely seemed kind enough. I walked up to them with a smile on my face and took a gamble on friendship. As expected, they shot me a confused look. "Hello! My name is Mikan Sakura. I'm your neighbor. I hope we'll get along." I held a hand out for a shake.

The raven haired boy stared at it before sucking his teeth and walking away! The rude little prick.

I was about ready to mouth him off, but I realized the blond boy had entwined our fingers together and took my hand in his for a shake. "Ruka Nogi. That guy's Natsume Hyuuga. He may seem bad, but he's a pretty good guy. We're in a bit of a rush to the infirmary, but I do hope to talk to you later. See you around, Ms. Sakura." Ruka gave me a kind smile and made his leave.

Very respectful, and exceptionally handsome. Seems like a good neighbor to have. I'll just have to see if I can adjust to the Hyuuga guy and his rotten as heck attitude.

After Ruka disappeared from my view, I shrugged my shoulders and entered my room. Doors were to remain unlocked until the last person gets in. All of our keys were in there, so I was able to just wander in. I peaked in, seeing no one else inside, though I did see both of our belongings there- since I can identify what's not mine. I walked over to the counter, and there laid a picture. It was two kids- a black haired one, and one with reddish-pink hair. I observed it until I felt something grab at my leg. I let out a shrill scream, thinking someone was in here waiting to attack me.

But what ended up greeting me was the sound of a boy laughing in hysterics. My face turned crimson as the guy stood up to his feet, clutching his stomach and composing himself. "Sorry, sorry… I couldn't help myself." It was a slightly older boy. He had messy black hair with powerful sapphire eyes= a star tattoo placed under his left eye as well. You could tell he was lean, but muscular, as his tight sleeveless navy colored turtle neck allowed visibility of his abs. He tousled my hair, grinning wide. "Name's Tsubasa Andou. Looks like I'll be your partner, eh?"

I tried to fight off the blush and shyly nodded. This guy was kind, playful and handsome. Not to mention he was the guy I had to spend almost all of my time with. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Mikan Sakura."

Tsubasa's playful grin was still plastered on his face. "The pleasures all mine, Mi-Mi." He pulled my close and picked me up, holding me high.

My blush came back full force.

If I thought normal high school was difficult to deal with, spending only menial time around distant guys- this was truly going to be a challenge. I had to be much more intimate with this charming boy and also have to work a lot with the other two boys.

May God help me.

----

End Chapter 1!


	2. Complications

Hey hey people! Welcome back to Cirque du Alice! Here's to hoping you guys enjoy chapter 2 of this fanficiton!

Also, thank you to the following readers who reviewed! Since it's on my phone that I'm checking my email and can't respond to reviews- I'll respond to them here: Hope you guys don't mind!

JeZ-Amutolover110- Hahaha, as much as I do like Natsume and Mikan together- I'm really tempted to make it Tsubasa/Mikan, because it virtually doesn't exist almost. ;; I think it needs more ficage. If it's not Natsu/Mikan- there'll at least be hinting at it? ):D

Jazziscool: I know, right? D: It's why I'm so tempted. I think I will make it Tsubasa/Mikan.

Moonacre99: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like it~ :D

Arisu09: Thanks! Here I am, updating it, and pretty quick if I do say so myself! *grin*

Anywhizzy- let's get this party started!

**DISCLAIMER: I own not the Gakuen Alice- if I did, I'd throw Tsubasa in there more often! **

_Chapter 2: Complications_

"This is No. Fair." I muttered off hand while Tsubasa laughed whole heartedly at my pouting. "Absolutely no fair! Is this how it's always been?!"

"Stop screaming. You're hurting my ears." Came the simple, spiteful reply from the ever so "social" Natsume Hyuuga. I scowled at him as Tsubasa let out another round of laughter. Ruka let out a slow, exasperated sigh.

"You really enjoy my misery, don't you?" I jut out my lower lip, again pouting.

This time, Tsubasa didn't laugh at my expression. He smiled and pat my head. "Nah. Your comical expressions are adorable and it makes me want to laugh, but it's not enjoying your misery. Don't you like my company?" I jumped back slightly and nodded vehemently. How easy it was for him to turn my words against me… sly dog. "Anyway, yeah, the academy's been doing it like this for as long as I can remember. You can't tour with prospective friends- only prospective partners on stage." His lips curved upwards as he gave me a cheeky grin. "Think of it like we're all prospective friends!"

My pout slowly melted into a smile. "Friends with you loud mouthed idiots? Tch. As if." Natsume drawled. Mood killer extraordinaire.

I snapped my head in his direction, shooting a glare. "As if I want to be friends with such a damn grump…"

"This here is the stage!" Narumi turned around, motioning his hands apart for emphasis as the four of us students stopped abruptly.

My eyes went wide at the sight of it. It was state of the art with all the equipment- rope, lyras, trapezes, large metal wheels and other apparatuses- amazing light fixtures… the area was huge, but what rivaled it's size was the actual seating for audience members. I marveled at it and thought about just exactly how many people could be seated here. I managed to tug at Tsubasa's shirt. "Hey, hey… you're the only one who's been here longer than us, right…? Have you…ever performed up here?"

Tsubasa gave me a pained smile- which caused me to flinch. He was always playful, but this time, it seemed as if I touched something sensitive. "No. I have never gone up on stage. But it's okay!"

"No it's not." Narumi interjected. "You were always trying your hardest when first accepted as a student here… but once she was accepted into an act and had that one accident, you've never seemed to want to take this seriously! Instead you were always making trouble for your-"

"That's ENOUGH." Tsubasa cut him off. "I haven't done that…so stop assuming, Naru."

Ruka and Natsume exchanged curious looks with each other- then looked at me, expecting that I knew the answer. I shook my head, and remembered last night, which could possibly be the reason.

**Yesterday: Settling in after dinner with Tsubasa and Hotaru**

"Your friend was an interesting girl. Kind of intimidating. And that's your best friend?" Tsubasa chuckled as he opened the door to our room and sauntered in. "You two are so different. I guess you bring out the qualities in each other that other people can't see, eh?"

I smiled brightly, skipping into our room as well. I jumped on the couch in the living quarters. "Yeah, you could say that!" The two of us let out laughs. I looked around the room and laid my eyes back onto the picture from earlier. The red-pink haired child. "What about your friends?"

"Ah, I have one really close friend in the managers department. He has a weak body, so they made sure he stopped performing. He had no desire to leave this school, so he joined the team of people learning for managing positions." Tsubasa grinned. "His name is Kaname. I'll introduce you some day. He's a real looker and quite the prince charming, so careful, you might fall for him!" He warned, shaking his finger.

I burst out into giggles- stopping slowly and looking back at the picture. There was just something about it that made me look back to it. I pointed to the girl. "What about her, Tsubasa?"

Tsubasa turned around slowly. From the side of his face, I could see his lips turn into a frown, and then be forcibly tugged back upwards into a smile. "That's Misaki. She was like a mother figure to me. But she had to…" hesitation… "Leave this school."

I felt this was something I shouldn't touch. I just nodded. "I see…" There was a long moment of awkward silence. "Well, I should start unpacking, so I'll be heading to my room now."

His head bobbed quickly and he looked at me. There was something wrong- I could tell by his sapphire eyes. "I'll just crash. It was a long day, greeting the newbies. So I'll catch you in the morning Mimi!" He smiled…completely stressed that.

I smiled at that, hoping he'd feel better from whatever internal conflict he were having. "See you then!"

**Back to the Present**

"There was a reason I paired you with Mikan. There's a reason everyone's partnered and grouped together with their appointed mates." Narumi motioned while walking us back to our dormitory. "All of you boys will find out why I chose Mikan soon."

Now all the boys were looking at me. "She couldn't possibly be that good, Naru." Natsume simply said, interrupting the tense atmosphere there just was.

"Of course not right now, Hyuuga." Narumi turned back, a smirk on his face. "But you can expect her to soar above the rest. And I expect you all to teach her well. You are all set for the trapeze practice room in the morning."

Whoa, whoa hold on a moment. Did Narumi just say…

"Excuse me Mr. Anjo… but _teach_?" Ruka stepped up and questioned. Good, he did it before I snapped and wailed at Narumi for such a decision. I was hoping it was slip of the tongue.

"One, how many times have I told you to call me Narumi, Ruka? And two, yes. She'll be treated differently from the rest of the students. You boys will train her, unless there's a routine she'll learn. Then I'll personally teach her the routine, although training for it will be handled by you three. Do I make myself clear?" Narumi demanded, turning around while he took this step to face us.

"Why the hell should I do that? You think I'm going to listen to _you_ Naru?" Natsume questioned with the most irate expression I had ever seen.

Narumi simply chuckled at Natsume. Natsume narrowed his eyes as he looked at the handsome blond before him. "You can do whatever you want, Natsume. But the next performance is pretty close to that day, don't you think? And time's running out. I hope to have Mikan trained to be the female lead… and I wonder who I'd appoint as the male…"

Natsume grit his teeth and started storming away. "I don't know what you're up to, but that's just low." He pushed by Narumi and slowly, his retreating figure began disappearing into the dark.

I blinked, still looking at the direction Natsume took off in. Ruka hesitated, but then ran after his best friend. When I looked up, I realized we were at the dorms now. "Don't worry about Hyuuga. He has quite the chip on his shoulder right now, so he'll be a bit… prickly." Narumi mentioned, smile instead of smirk on his face.

I nodded, not questioning. There's something fishy about these guys…

**Next Morning, During Trapeze "Class"**

"…So, Ruka and I will show you how it's done- and you and Natsume will reenact it." Tsubasa finished explaining how it would go.

I let out an exasperated sigh and nodded. "Yes Tsubasa… Why is it like that anyway?"

Ruka laid a hand on my shoulder and offered me a smile. "It's because Tsubasa and Natsume have more training on the trapeze than us two- so he's putting one more experienced person with one less experienced. But you don't have to worry about your lesson being hindered because of it. I've trained quite a bit on the trapeze, so I'm not bad if I do say so myself."

I let out a small laugh, smiling at Ruka. "I see now!"

"Don't worry, I want to work with you as little as you want to work with me." Natsume muttered. I grumbled darkly, getting next to the set up to watch Tsubasa show me the basics. Ruka was to sit down a little while, until catching would come into play. "It's not like I really have a choice…"

That last part he said… it sound strangely like desperation. I looked away from Tsubasa for a moment. "What do you…"

"Now it's your turn up there!" Tsubasa motioned me from the net. He climbed up with me, and placed me in the right positions, letting me know how it worked. As he droned on with explanations on what muscles I should use, I nodded. "Now, remember. Show me what you've got."

I sucked in a breath of air and with that, I jumped back and took off into the air. It was amazing! It felt as if I were flying. After a few falls of just getting kicked off, I learned how to do the knee hang.

After I returned from the fifth knee hang, Tsubasa was grinning. "This was the part I was waiting for. Now we get to teach you how to get caught!" he nodded at Ruka, who nod in return and the two took up to the trapeze. I saw how Ruka had to wait for Tsubasa to swing once and hit the peak of that swing, going into the Knee hanging position and then took off. First swing, he took the knee hang position. Next swing, their hands clapped and Tsubasa caught Ruka. Ruka swung high and flipped onto the platform Tsubasa started with. Tsubasa spun around on the trapeze and faced Ruka's bar, jumping off and catching it, dismounting on Ruka's side. "Don't worry yourself with that quite yet. For now, Natsume will just catch you until you're ready to do all of that."

I nodded and climbed up the ladder, Natsume climbing on the other side. I squinted to get a better look at him, and it seemed as if he were sighing.

If not _breathing heavily._ I shook off the thought and held onto my bar tightly as Natsume took off, reaching the point of his swing, I took off myself. I fixed myself onto knee hang and stretched out my hands. Natsume and my hands clapped together. I looked up at him as he held onto my hands. His crimson eyes seemed somewhat glazed and a drop of sweat trickled down his forehead and onto mine.

He just started… so why did he seem tired already?

We reached the peak of his swing and he pulled me upward and let go. I spun in the air and then came crashing down on the net. "Okay, try that again. Mikan, better idea. Try to catch the trapeze you just swung on. " Tsubasa ordered from the ground.

I nodded and climbed back up. We repeated the beginning steps. I was on knee hang position, holding my hands out to Natsume. Our hands clapped together and I took my feet off of my bar.

It felt like it all happened in slow motion. Natsume winced and grit his teeth. He was in pain. Slowly, his legs unraveled from the trapeze bar and we began descending towards the net. He grabbed my hand and pulled me away, making sure we'd bounce side by side. If we crashed landed on each other, it was sure to be painful. Our bodies hit the net and bounced up before we settled down against. It.

"Natsume… what the hell happened? You're usually perfect on the trapeze…" Tsubasa questioned as he observed the raven haired lad dismounting the net.

"Nothing. I'm heading back to my room. I can't work right now. I'm… not concentrating today." Natsume said as he dismissed himself.

Ruka offered a wry smile. "Sorry Ms. Sakura. We'll offer a better training next time…" With that, Ruka ran as fast as he could to catch up with Natsume.

"Hey shorty, we can continue practice if you want." Tsubasa mentioned as he grabbed a bottle of water and dumped it on his head.

I thought for a moment. It's not that Natsume wasn't concentrating… there was something else there… "Not right now, Tsubasa. I want to find something out." Before Tsubasa could respond, I ran in a frenzy to catch up to the two boys.

Seemed that they were heading to the dorms. While Ruka waited for the elevators, I bolted up the stairs as quickly as possible and found a place to hide. Natsume was sitting on the floor outside of his and Ruka's room, doubled over and gripping his shoulder, letting out hisses of pain.

"Natsume!" Ruka finally managed to catch the other boy and walked up to him slowly. "I thought you said that time you had that fall that you were okay… you lied, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Natsume answered simply. "I had to continue practicing for this… I have to get this role…"

"How bad is it?" Ruka questioned. Natsume remained quiet. "I asked you a question… Now please answer me, Natsume. How bad is it?"

Natsume hesitated. "Shoulder keeps dislocating because I keep straining it. But I can pop it back in, so I'm alright. I take painkillers so I can perform without feeling a thing. I can keep going until next month. I just need to get on that stage once, Ruka."

Ruka looked disappointed in Natsume. "What happens if you perform like that?"

Natsume looked away now. "There's a chance I may never be able to perform again because of permanent damage. But…I'm willing. I just have to this… just once."

Ruka let out a long sigh, his cerulean eyes growing weary with every passing moment. "Does Naru know?"

"No, he doesn't. Don't tell him. Please… I can't lose this opportunity Ruka. You know how important…" Natsume was _pleading._ He was definitely not the type to.

"Yes… yes I do. As much as I disapprove of this, I know I can't stop you Natsume. Just please, don't do anything _too_ risky…" Ruka pat his friend in the non-ailing shoulder.

Natsume smirked. "Sure." With that, Natsume stood up and opened the door to his room. "I'm going to take a nap. Rest off the pain of shoving this stupid thing back into place."

"Alright… I'm off to catch lunch. See you later, Natsume." Ruka waved Natsume off as Natsume nodded and closed the door.

As quietly as I could, I sneaked away from my spot and tried to make a break for it. But of course, luck is something I never had. "Ms. Sakura?!" I heard Ruka's voice call out. I stopped in my tracks.

_Damn._ I slowly turned around, forcing a smile. "Fancy meeting you…"

Before I could finish, Ruka slammed his hands on the wall, trapping me in between his arms. He drew his face close to mine, examining me- his blue orbs meeting my own brown ones. "Just exactly how much did you hear?" Ruka questioned me, giving me a look.

_Busted…_

_There is something most definitely up with these three guys. _

_---------------_

_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'll cut off the chapter there! I'm not a jerk, I swear. *grins*_

_*coughs and changes to narrator-like voice*_

_What is Tsubasa avoiding?! Just what exactly did Mikan find out?! Why is Natsume doing this to himself?! You'll find out in the next installment of "Cirque du Alice"!_

_Hahaha, I'll see you all in chapter three hopefully! Hope you're all enjoying! Lemme know what you thought about it! What you like or don't like and the sort. Maybe what you hope to see. I like to hear others thoughts and opinions! *grin* _

_Till next time!_

_-ThePaintedSkies -Sama_


	3. Heated Determination

Hey everyone and welcome back to "Cirque Du Alice"! It's taken me long enough to work on this third chapter- but now here it is! Hope you all enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gakuen Alice, yo. I wish I did. ;3;**

_Chapter 3: Heated Determination_

"Everything. I heard it all." My stupid mouth moved faster than my thoughts and I had blurted out that I heard the whole exchanged between Ruka and Natsume. Curse my inability to lie.

"Ms. Sakura…" Ruka continued to examine my facial features as if checking to see if I were intimidated. Even though he looks pretty harmless, I definitely was intimidated. Students here worked out often, and I might as well not take my chances finding out if he followed a code of chivalry or not. "This upcoming role is very important to Natsume… Please, don't tell anyone."

I thought for a second before nodding my head vehemently. It seemed like it was something dire to Natsume. "I promise I won't tell a soul, okay Ruka?"

Ruka smiled softly. "Thank you , Ms. Sakura. I'll take your word for it." Finally, he put his arms at his sides and I was no longer caged in. "I'm off to get some lunch, so I'll see you later. Tell Tsubasa we're sorry for me, okay?"

"Alright. See you later." I waved and with that, I walked back to the practice room. I might as well continue practicing to make up for the lack of Natsume being able to. When I walked back into the room, there was someone sitting up top where you jump off for the trapeze. I squinted my eyes and realized it was Tsubasa. "Hey, you're still here?"

Tsubasa brought his arm up to his face and it seemed as if he wiped his face. Could he have been… _crying?_ "Hey, Mikan! You came back?"

"Yes! Ruka and Natsume apologize about not being to stay for practice, by the way." I said as I walked deeper into the room.

"That's a shame…" Tsubasa muttered as he hopped down from the trapeze set up onto the net. After bouncing a few times, he sprung off and began walking towards me. "Will Natsume be okay?"

The conversation between Ruka and Natsume flashed backed into my head. _Dislocated shoulder…_ "He'll be fine… if… well… Tsubasa. Can I ask you for a favor?"

Tsubasa's sapphire eyes now rested on my own chocolate colored eyes. "What is it Mikan?"

I looked around the room nervously, barely sure of what to say. "Well… Um… Tsubasa… you see… um… I think it'd be bad for Natsume to participate in practice for a while… so.. Um… can we practice together? You know… only the both of us?"

Tsubasa's head perked up. "That's an odd request... Is there something wrong with Natsume?"

I shook my head quickly. "N-no.. he's.. alright."

Tsubasa's lips tugged into a frown. "Mikan… he's part of my group as well- don't be afraid to tell me what's really going down."

"…Promise to not tell anyone?" I played with my fingers to try and busy myself so I wouldn't have to look into his eyes. Ruka'd kill me if I found out I was telling barely even 15 minutes later.

"I promise Mikan. If this is important, I have to know at least." Tsubasa explained, putting an arm around my shoulder.

"Well… you see… Natsume has a dislocated shoulder… and he's been taking painkillers to keep on practicing. He needs this role for a reason I don't know… but it's really important to him." I explained. I took in a deep breath and looked up to see Tsubasa seeming as if he were deep in thought. "And essentially, it's me who'd be dragging him down. I just need to get the practice… and I know if I get help from you Tsubasa, I could do it…"

Tsubasa shot me a grin and removed his arm from around my shoulder, looking at me face to face now. "I'm glad you feel you could count on me. I'll teach you all there is that you need to know for this production. We'll need to practice on your flexibility, grace and as for equipment, we'll need to train you on the trampoline, trapeze and lyra mostly."

I gave Tsubasa the brightest smile I could muster and shot myself at him, giving him the biggest hug I could possibly manage. "Thank you Tsubasa! I couldn't possibly thank you enough!"

"No problem, Mikan!" Tsubasa chuckled while he grabbed me and lifted me as high as he could.

I just giggled uncontrollably…

…

_**Some Time Later….**_

The past three and a half weeks were insanely packed with training. Tsubasa taught me an array of things that had to do with the trapeze alone- from walking on multiple trapeze bars, static trapeze acts, flying trapeze acts, swinging trapeze, double trapeze and dance trapeze. He also helped my diet by cutting off and adding certain things (which means much less of my favorite treat- howalon, but I have to make sacrifices). When it came to the Lyra- it was much harder. I learned how to use it static, swinging AND spinning. Spinning of course was the most difficult, but that's the one that's going to be used in this act. Of course, we worked on my grace as well, as I started off pretty awkward, but now I can hold graceful positions while standing the back of a pick up truck.

Training was indeed insane, as I pleaded Hotaru for a little help. She's learned quite a bit about managing performers and keeping them in tip top shape- I'll just say this- training for this part was much more painful. But I had to bring my best to the table.

Currently, I'm in the end of my audition for the main role- Juliet. The act we'd be putting on is Romeo and Juliet. I jumped onto the trampoline once, twice, thrice and I was up in the air, and caught on to the trapeze bar flying my way. I spun around it a few times before letting go and back-flipped towards the lyra. I reached forward and as I thought, the lyra was there and I caught it, spinning around once and grabbing onto the sides. The lyra started spinning and that's when I grabbed onto one side, spinning around it, then held onto the top, splitting my legs and continuing to turn. Putting my legs back together , I went inside of it and leaned against once side, holding onto the apparatus with one hand, and my other hand extended outward. The lights dimmed and the lyra was lowered. I ran back into the changing room and got into some casual clothing and met up in the room where Narumi was to make decisions.

"Alright… Mikan, Sumire and Anna… you all tried out for the role of Juliet. You all had your own feel to it… and a decision has been reached…" Narumi looked down for a moment then back up, smiling. "Mikan Sakura has earned lead role."

My eyes went wide and a squealed, hopping into the air with glee. The two other girls gave me a quick hug and a pat on the head. "Thank you Narumi, you won't regret it!"

Narumi gave a smile. "And for Romeo…I was thinking that Tsubasa Andou would fit the role rather well."

I bit my lip. "N…No…"

"What? Why's that?" Narumi questioned, eyeing me.

"I…I want Natsume Hyuuga to play the role of Romeo." I demanded.

"Now why on Earth is that Mikan?" Narumi asked me as he stood from his chair and stepped forward. "You practiced with Tsubasa and work the best with him. Why would you pick Natsume?"

"I… Well…" I looked around nervously. Many eyes were laying on me, awaiting my response. "I just think that… he'd… do well with this role. I think he should be seen."

Narumi cocked a brow, but then shook his head. "If you insist Mikan. Then for Tsubasa… I really liked how he's been executing moves as of late… so I'll cast him as the lead supporting--"

"No thanks." Tsubasa waved an arm as he made his way out of the room. Everyone started whispering amongst each other, saying he was probably angry because he was one upped. I bit my lip and decided to chase after him. After a short while of running, I caught up to him in the hallway and grabbed onto his wrist. He turned around and looked at me- his face seeming actually neutral. "What's wrong Mikan?"

I fought back against the sting of tears and kept myself from crying. "You… are you angry because I chose Natsume for this…? I'm sorry… I'd have loved to work with you but…"

Before I could finish, Tsubasa laid a finger on my lips to shush me. "It's okay Mikan… I know you're doing this for Natsume. I agreed to help you, remember? Now you better do your best as Juliet!" Tsubasa gave me a warm smile, and I managed to muster one myself. He then picked me up and twirled me around before setting me down. He started walking away, probably towards our room. I watched his retreating figure go away. "Besides…" He called out. I perked up from hearing his voice once more. "I would have declined anyway…"

I remained frozen in my spot. He would have still declined… is it because he didn't trust my skills? He did train me so he would know if I were good enough or not…

Or is it something else…

_**The Day of The Performance-The Finale **_

I looked towards Natsume- he was breathing erratically. "Curtains are about to raise… Natsume, are you sure you can finish this? You look tired… we can get Ruka to-"

"NO!" Natsume yelled rather loudly and I flinched. It seemed he was straining to get this absolutely perfect, despite being doped up on painkillers and his shoulder not being so cooperative. "I have to finish this… I have to…"

I shook my head, wondering why this performance was so important and opted to just go on without knowing. "Curtain in 5." Narumi started our countdown. "4...3...2..."

With that, the both of us ran to our respective trampolines and took to the sky. Our trapeze was there waiting for us. We swung around and stood on it, jumping from trapeze bar to trapeze bar, on the last one, grabbing it and swinging around it. We currently were at opposite ends of the stage. We spun around it thrice before letting go and flying backwards, hands out to catch our lyra. Once we stood on our lyra, it started spinning, moving around the stage. They drew closer, and now it was Natsume's time to jump from his lyra to mine- a difficult move already while not injured. He back-flipped and grabbed onto the bottom of his lyra and swung on it, flipping high up and reaching out to grab the bottom of my lyra. When his hands clapped with it, I could see the pained expression on his face and he let go.

There was no net on the bottom. It could lead to certain injury… or even worse…

_Death._

Thinking quickly, I went to a knee hang and reached out for him, grabbing onto both hands. He let out a holler as that happened- I felt his arm tug- must have dislocated again… I realized the lights were dimmed out. Looks like staff had given up on him before I could even maneuver to save him. "Natsume… pull up…"

"I can't… just… Drop me." I heard Natsume utter.

"The hell? Why are you telling me that?! Drop you?! Are you crazy?!" I yelled at him. This wasn't easy, the lyra was still spinning and I was still upside down.

"She's sick… and probably won't make it anyway! She's the only one I have left, so you might as well let me go!" Natsume yelled.

I bit my lips. This infuriated me. "So you're just giving up? You put on your first show so it could be your _Swan song_? Give me a break Hyuuga! Has she given up?!"

"She stopped fighting! She feels she can't win! It's too difficult to over come, alright?!" Natsume continued yelling at me from where he was hanging. He's telling me to let go, but his grip tightened.

"If she sees you're hopeless, of course she'll want to give up." I whispered, loud enough for Hyuuga to hear.

Saying that seemed to spark something in Natsume- he managed to lift himself up, bounding high enough to reach the lyra and grabbed onto it- because of his arm, he nearly slipped and I grabbed onto him with one hand and kept a tight hold of the lyra with the other. Suddenly- the lyra caught flames- the outside of it was entirely engulfed in fire, but it didn't hurt. The lights were cut back on and crowd was up on their feet, giving us a standing ovation. It felt amazing.

The lyra was lowered and we made our way back stage. Before I could even reach the dressing room, Natsume grabbed onto my arm. "…Come with me for a moment."

We weaved through crowds of people, both performers and audience members until finally reaching the outside area. People murmured about the both of us and our spectacular fire trick. I had no idea how that even happened though. Finally, we stopped when the figure of a little girl with black hair came into view. She turned around slowly- she had the same crimson eyes as Natsume. She was on the pale side, and seemed rather frail. "Natsume Nii!!" The girl ran up to Natsume and hugged him tightly.

"Don't over do it, Aoi…" Natsume looked down at the little girl tenderly. Who knew he had such expressions?

"Brother, I saw your performance and it was amazing! What you did with the fire, it was like a phoenix!" Aoi excitedly yelled while hopping up and down. It was adorable and I felt a smile tug on my face. "I'm going to be strong like Nii-Chan! I'm not going to give up. I'm going to be reborn like the phoenix!"

"Aoi…" Natsume muttered. "That's right… be strong sister…Hope you're better when I come to see you." He wrapped his little sister in a tight hug and promptly after he let go, Aoi's nurse started walking her back to the car.

"NEE CHAAAN!! PLEASE TAKE GOOD CARE OF NATSU-NII!" Aoi called out to me, waving to me frantically.

I nodded and waved. "…" When Aoi was out of site I turned back to Natsume. "Now that you showed her your amazing skills- I think you should come clean about your shoulder-"

"I was intending to." Natsume was smirking. "Don't worry about me, I'm not giving up. That show wasn't my greatest- and I want to be opposite you when I'm at my best… because that performance… it wasn't bad."

I nodded. "Looking forward to it, Hyuuga…"

_**End Chapter 3!**_

I realize that I have too darn many stories at the same time all together from different sites… SOOO… I'm going to try and make this one short. We have one boy's main story taken care of. Next is Ruka. Expect there to be more interactions between the characters in the following chapters. It was hard to find out how to take this chapter, so if it's a bit iffy, my bad! ;3; The fire will be explained in the next chapter, by the way~

Do feel free to leave reviews- let me know what you think so far and such! I really appreciate constructive crit. And sorry if I can't get to respond to them all the time- I type and post on the computer, but I'm always using the internet and responding to email by phone- and it doesn't let me respond to reviews. ;o; I'll try to do so on the rest of the chapters. Thanks to all of you who reviewed chapter 2 by the way! See you all in chapter 4!

-Sama (The Painted Skies)


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